TAOIST MEDITATION Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body Translated and compiled by THOMAS CL EARY * SHAMBHALA Boston & London 2000 CO NTENTS Translator's Introduction I Anthology on the Cultivation of Realization 7 Treatise on Sitting Forgetting 8 I Sayings of Taoist Master Danyang I o6 Secret Writings on the Mechanisms of Nature I I2 Zhang Sanfeng's Taiji Alchemy Secrets I I7 Secret Records of Understanding the Way I2 3 TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION Taoism, one of the most ancient of Eastern traditions, is drawing increasing attention in the modern West. Interest in Taoism is no longer confined to fringe elements, as some would prefer, but has become part of the normal mentality of conscious individuals and cosmopolitan thinkers in many areas of contemporary life. Part of the popularity of Taoism in the West might be due to the fact that Taoism is scientific yet also humanistic and sp iritual. Taoism has a capacity for subtle pervasion be­ cause it can be understood and practiced within the frame­ works of other world religions, or without any religious framework at all. This selfless adaptability may be why Tao­ ism has been able to penetrate Western cultures without the limitations of theological doctrine or religious identity. Some of the specialized arts originating in Taoist tradition, such as bare-hand martial disciplines, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and therapeutic massage, are becoming increas- 2 TRANSLATO R'S IN TRODU CTIO N ingly familiar in the West. Taoist social philosophy and stra­ tegic thinking have also proved to be of great interest to Western people in various walks of life. These are among the dimensions of Taoism that have attracted the attention of professionals in many areas-political and military; agricul­ tural, industrial, and commercial; educational, medical, and scientific. Me ditation is one element of Taoism that interests a broad spectrum of people, because the state of mind is central to the well-being and efficiency of the whole organism. Taoist meditation is for enhancement of both physical and mental he alth, as these two facets of well-being are intimately re­ lated to one another. Modern scientific understanding of the mind-body continuum confirms traditional Taoist beliefs about the effects of mental states on physical conditions and vice versa. This volume presents a selection of materials on Taoist meditation, touching upon a wide range of topics tradition­ ally taken up by Taoists fo r the purpose of all-around human development. Having been written in China, they are couched in the customary usages of Chinese culture, particu­ larly the unitarianism of the last millennium, in which Tao­ ist, Co nfucian, and Buddhist teachings are commonly used together for nondogmatic balance in higher education. A considerable amount of material from this tradition, in both classical and unitarian phases, is currently available in English translation. There is no fixed system of thought or practice in Taoism, and many different methods have been articulated over the centuries. Different temperaments and different times have different requirements, according ro Taoist reaching, so the responses of the Tao to these varying conditions muse themselves differ to be effective. This is the TRA NSLATOR'S INTR ODUCTIO N 3 main reason for the publication of a variety of materials from this tradition, to reflect the experiences of different people and thereby achieve greater balance and address a broader spectrum of human temperament than does sectarian dog­ matics. Besides true Taoist teachings, it is averred in the litera­ ture, there are many false or deteriorated forms of suppos­ edly Taoist practice. Warnings to this effect have been circulated for many centuries. This is another reason for the presentation of a range of traditional materials, so that the public may have some basis for the understanding and evalu­ ation of particular people or practices purporting to repre­ sent Taoism. The first selection presented here is a work called Anthol­ ogy on the Cultivation of Realization by an unknown author known only by the style Cultivator of Realization. Discov­ ered in manuscript form and published in it appears 1739, to be a product of the Ming dynasty Citing (1368-1644). Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist teachings, the author em­ phasizes balanced development of the natural, social, and spiritual elements of human life through meditations on a wide variety of topics. The second selection is a very famous manual on medita­ tion, Treatise on Sitting Forgetting by Sima Chengzhen of the Tang dynasty The cosmopolitan culture of the (618-907). Tang dynasty has often been called the golden ag e of Chi­ nese civilization. The great schools of Eastern Buddhism flourished during the Tang dynasty, exerting a powerful in­ fluence on the subsequent evolution of Confucianism and Taoism. This Treatise on Sitting Forgetting is dearly Taoistic, yet it is generally phrased in a manner acceptable to Confu- 4 TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUC T ION cians and Buddhists. It is often quoted in later works on the subject of Taoist meditation. The third selection consists of sayings of Ma Danyang, a famous Taoist wizard of the Song dynasty (960-1279). Danyang, whose Taoist name means Cinnabar Sunlight, was one of the great disciples of Wang Chongyang, the fo under of the Northern Branch of Complete Reality Taoism, a pow­ erful neo-Taoist movement reviving both contemplative and social elements of Taoism. The austere spirituality of the Northern Branch of Complete Reality Taoism is reminiscent of Chan , or Zen, Buddhism, which many neo-Taoists stud­ ied, but it is also an organic response to the problems and hardships of a society under fo reign occupation. The fo urth selection is taken from an anthology called Secret Writings on the Mechanisms of Nature. This is a collection of excerpts from sources of Taoist tradition, including 163 ancient classics, writings on meditation and spiritual al­ chemy, and the admonitions and instructions of the great luminaries of Taoist spirituality through the ages. The fifth selection is a discourse on the mental refinement represented by the science of spiritual alchemy. It is attrib­ uted to Zhang Sanfeng, a semimythological figure of the Ming dynasty to whom, or to whose school, a great many works of this genre are attributed. Zhang Sanfeng was sup­ posed to have been a great alchemist and is traditionally associated with the fo rm of exercise known as Taijiquan, or Tai Chi Chuan. Presented here is a text entitled Zhang Sanfeng's Taiji Al­ chemy Secrets. J usc as martial artists, such as Shaolin boxers and Zen duelers and archers, commonly practiced medica­ tion, the interior fou ndation of Tai Chi is also traditionally associated with internal meditation practice. This alchemy TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTI ON 5 roo is based on awareness of the connection between mind and body, and its exercise raises the physical practice of Tai Chi now quite popular in the West, to a greater level of total fulfillment. The sixth and finalselect ion in this volume is taken from Secret Records of Understanding the Wa y, a rare and remarkable manuscript collection · of talks by an anonymous Taoist known only by a devotional name. This appears to be a work of the late Qing dynasty clearly fo llowing tra­ ( 1644-1911 ), ditional lines yet with a candor characteristic of mo dern tunes. ANTHOLOGY ON THE CULTIV ATION OF REALIZATION THE WAY If people want to do the finest thing in the world, nothing compares to learning. If they want to be the best of le arners, nothing compares to learning the Way. Master Zhu said, "Learning is for seeking the Way; what is the use of learning otherwise?" Even professional promotion is something extra­ neous; what a pity it has corrupted so many people! The Tao says, "To establish an emperor and set up high offi­ Te Ching cials, one may have a great jewel and drive a team of horses, but that is not as good as advancing calmly on this Way." Talent is exploited by others and rarely reaches its end; virtue is cultivated by oneself, and it has a definition. The Way is undefined, but when used it is inexhaustible. There­ fore superior people only study the Way: they look upon merit and fame, wealth and status, as floating clouds, letting THE CU LTIVATION OF REALIZATION 8 them go and come without being moved by them while in their very midst. If superior people only study the Way, is it because they gain some benefit? Yes, it is. What is that benefit? Those who study the Way study what is in the self. The mind can be broadened, the body can be benefited; sickness can be cured, death can be avoided. No benefits are greater than these. Do people who study the Way actually gain these benefits and pleasures? If they do, then why do people of the world all get irritated when they see people who study the Way, co nsidering them eccentrics or phonies? The Ching Tao Te says, "When superior people hear of the Way, they travel it diligently. When mediocre people hear of the way, they seem aw are , yet are as if oblivious. When lesser people hear of the Way , they laugh at it out loud. What they don't laugh at couldn't be the Way." PRINCIPLE The Way is one and only one. On the celestial level it is called destiny; on the human level it is called essential na­ ture. On the phenomenal level it is called principle. This principle circulates throughout the world, appearing in daily activities. Every event and every thing has a natural principle, which cannot be dispensed with. Thus there is a principle whereby things are as they are; it cannot be altered, only followed.